


Collared

by Magnetism_bind



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Collars, Cunnilingus, F/F, F/M, Fighting, Fingerfucking, Humiliation, Imprisonment, Kidnapping, Nudity, Partial Nudity, Punching, Rape, Rape By Proxy, Tasers, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 19:11:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9840143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnetism_bind/pseuds/Magnetism_bind
Summary: Maxwell Lord kidnaps Kara and puts a collar on her that dampens her powers and leaves her in his control.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The rape by proxy occurs when Maxwell Lord has a female assistant carry out his orders.

“You sure this thing will work?” His assistant tapped the collar with a dubious knuckle. “She’s an alien, remember.”

“I’m well aware of that fact.” Maxwell Lord said absently. He was aware of a lot of things about Supergirl, and her human identity for that matter. So many possibilities of what to do with that information, how to best use it and what he could make of it. There were so many ideas roaming around in his brain.

He glanced over his shoulder at his assistant. “The collar will hold her.”

He was betting his life on it after all, but what was life if you didn’t wager with it once in a while?

He looked down at the silver banded collar resting on its stand. _Just you wait_ , he thought. _You were made for something beautiful._

*  *  *

Kara’s eyelashes fluttered. Her limbs felt heavy, so weighted down it was impossible to move them. She opened her eyes, blinking at the dimmed lights above her head. _Lights. Gray walls. Glass._ Where was she? The last thing she remembered she had been flying, and then she had heard a noise and then she’d been falling.

She started to sit up, wincing. Nothing should hurt. Why did her head hurt? Falling, the air rushing past her faster and faster. She’d definitely fallen but she couldn’t remember hitting the ground.

Kara looked around. She was in a cell. A cell that looked exactly like one of the ones at the DEO. For a moment she thought maybe she was at the DEO, but that didn’t make any sense. They wouldn’t lock her up. Not now, not after everything. She couldn’t make out anything around the cell. The room was dark; her senses felt muted somehow.

Somebody was watching her. She knew that much just on instinct.

“Whoever you are, you’re making a big mistake.”

She braced her hands against the floor and pushed herself to her feet. A wave of dizziness caught her and she tried to steady herself. _What’s happening to me?_

Kara tried to rub at her temples, trying to relieve the pressure in her head.

“I wouldn’t call it that.”

Kara turned her head sharply in the direction of the voice. She knew that voice.

Maxwell Lord strolled out of the shadows surrounding the cell. He smiled at her through the glass.

Kara faced him. “Whatever you think you’re doing, you’re gonna regret it.”

Lord just chuckled. “I never regret anything I do.” He had his hands in his pockets as he stood there, just surveying his prize. 

“Let me out before you make any more mistakes.” Kara said. How dare he put her in this cell? What made him think he had the right to do this?

Lord smiled. “I already told you.” He stepped right up to the glass, so close all Kara had to do was punch a hole right through it to grab him by his scrawny neck. “I wouldn’t call it that.”

His eyes drifted down over her body, making her skin crawl. When Lord looked up again he was smiling that peculiar little smile he had, gazing at her neck.

She wanted to punch the glass, but if it was anything like the cells at the DEO, it’d be reinforced. There was no point in hitting it just to try. Gods, but she wanted to. To break through and wipe the smug little smirk off his face.

He was still staring at her neck. There was something frightening about the way he looked at her but Kara forced herself to remain calm.

“How’re you keeping me here?” That was what was really troubling her. How had he been able to capture let alone put her in a cell?

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Lord whispered. His smile grew wider. “Why don’t you try to figure it out?” He moved away from the glass and walked over to the cell door. “Come on out.”

Kara watched wordlessly as he opened the door.

It had to be a trap, but she couldn’t tell how. The headache wouldn’t leave her. The pressure wasn’t lessening. She pressed her fingers to her temple but moved towards the door anyway.

Lord returned his hands to his pockets and stepped back. “Come out to play.”

“You think you’re so smart,” Kara started towards him. She could feel it in her mind all through her bones; the crack of his jawbone under her fist. This time she would make sure he remembered why it was a mistake to antagonize her.

As she moved in, arm raised, fist readied, Lord just said one word. “Stop.”

Kara froze; her whole body arrested with the force of it. She stared at him in shock. “What did you do?”

“Don’t speak anymore.” Lord scratched at his jaw. “I get tired of your voice.”

Kara opened her mouth to tell him just where he could stick it and nothing came out. Desperately she tried so speak, to say anything, even scream, but her breath came out in a needy wordless gasp.

She raised her hand to her throat and her fingers found metal at her neck. Her eyes widened as she looked at Lord.

“Took you long enough to realize it was even there.”

Kara followed the metal all the way around her neck. It was a perfect metal band, so thin she should have been able to snap it with one hand but when her fingers pulled at it, nothing happened.

_He’d put a fucking collar on her._

“I can see you wondering.” Lord said. “And while I could explain it to you, I like the thought of leaving you in the metaphorical dark. Get down on your knees.”

 _Are you serious?_ Kara screamed at him in her mind. _How can you think I’d ever obey you? Kneel to you of all men?_

She would never.

But her body would.

Apparently her body would do whatever he said. She sank to her knees, even as she raged against the command.

“Oh, that’s _good_.” Lord stepped back to gaze down at her in delight. “Do you know how good you look on your knees? Perfect. That’s how.”

He walked all the way around her, savoring the sight of her.

Kara turned her head to glare at him.

Lord stopped beside her kneeling form and smiled down at her. “Glare all you want, little girl. You can’t escape that collar and we both know it.”

_Maybe not yet. But I will._

“You’re my little bitch, aren’t you?” He rested his hand on top of her hair, stroking it lightly. “The only thing I regret is that I can’t show you off like this to your precious friends at the DEO.”  His hand skimmed under her hair, resting on the back of her neck. “Even I’m not quite that idiotic.”

Kara sat there rigidly as his thumb brushed down her spine.

“But it’s so damn tempting.” Lord whispered. “Look at you, powerless. Always trying to save everyone and now you can’t even save yourself.”

Kara’s eyes burned with leashed fury.

Lord stared at her, and then sighed. “Oh, go ahead. Say what you want to.”

Kara simply gazed up at him. “I may be powerless right now, but when I get out of this collar, you’ll regret the day you were born.”

Lord just smiled, crouching down to brush a lock of her hair back from her face. “Trust me, I already regret that day.”

“Though you didn’t have any regrets.”

Lord shrugged. “Nobody asks to be born.” His fingers grazed the side of her cheek as he studied her for a moment.

Then he rose to his feet. “I’ll be back. But in the meantime, feel free to try to escape. That part’s always entertaining.”

The cell door closed behind him as Kara stood.

Lord reached the doorway. “And what the hell, I might as well leave you in the actual dark too.” He grinned. “See you soon, Supergirl.”

The door opened and he stepped through it. Kara watched it close and then the room went black.

*  *  *

She stood there in the dark, one hand on the collar at her neck. She wouldn’t be here long. Alex would find her. And when she did…

Her fingers tightened on the collar. Well then, Maxwell Lord would have his first regret, courtesy of her fists.

*  *  *

It was hard to tell how much time had passed before the door opened again. Lord entered the room and hit the lights.

“Sorry to leave you alone for so long, but I had some things I needed to take care of. It must have been a boring day.”

Kara shrugged. “On the contrary, it was very peaceful not having to listen to you.”

Lord just laughed. He had something in his hand that looked like a taser, like nothing you’d want near your body. Lord opened the cell and stepped inside.

“What are you doing?” Kara licked her lip apprehensively. After earlier (how many hours had she been in here?), she was overtly aware that he had control over her physical body.

“I just want to test a few things.” Lord told her. He held up the stick. “This tests nerve pain, how much intensity can you take.”

Kara took a step back as he came towards her.  “You don’t have to do this.”

“Of course I don’t have to. “ Lord laughed. “The point is, I _can_ , and I’ve chosen to. Stop walking.”

Kara froze.

He walked up to her and held it right below her breasts. “Tell me how it feels.”

He pressed the button.

The pain radiated outwards, spreading throughout her body. It felt like she was being burned from the inside out. Kara gasped, her back arching upward as she tried to contain her scream.

Lord just looked at her. “Don’t hold back on my account.”

He pressed it lower on her belly and did it again.

This time she let out a whimper as she wrapped her arms around her middle, trying to block out the pain. She was going to die. How was this pressure building inside her? She could get through this; she could bear anything. They’d find her. She’d escape and rip his throat out. No, that wasn’t right. She wanted to though. _Rao_ , how she wanted to kill him.

Lord stopped to study her and Kara’s arms wound tighter around her body, her breath coming in rasps.

“Third time’s the charm.” Lord said and pressed it to her throat.

This time Kara screamed. The sound was torn out of her like an animal, raw and wrecked. The pain of it vibrated around the room.

Maxwell Lord winced. “There.” He looked down at her. “Was that so hard?”

Her throat burned. Her body throbbed in agony. She was crying, trying to hold it back, but the tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, all the same, running down her face unabashedly. She couldn’t stop them.

“Oh, now, that’s…” Lord paused, taking in the sight. “You really are something usually with that blue-eyed blonde look, like butter won’t melt in your mouth, but this. This is beautiful.”

His thumb stroked along her collarbone and Kara flinched.

She gazed up at him, wanting to shut her eyes and keep him out, but she couldn’t let him win. “You know you really are a sad excuse for a human being.” Her voice was a rasp.

“That’s so harsh, coming from an alien.”

Now Kara closed her eyes. “Just stop talking.” She could handle pain but the sound of his voice grated incessantly at her. She remembered something Cat had said once of Maxwell Lord. “There’s nothing he loves so much as the sound of his own voice. Even somebody else paying him a compliment doesn’t compare.”

“You won’t escape me that easily.” Lord whispered and placed the stick to her stomach again.

She lost track of how many times he used it on her. Her throat had been the worst, but the back of her knees and her feet had been agonizing.

When he stopped, Kara was crumpled on the floor.

“Thank you.” Lord said after a moment. “That was extremely helpful.”

She listened to his footsteps walking away. Fear crept in as her vision blurred. Kara stayed curled up on the floor of her cell – not even caring that he was probably watching, gloating over every painful movement she made. She just wanted to sleep and disappear from this nightmare. How long had she been there now? Two days? Three? How long would it take for them to find her? They knew she was gone by now, right?

They had to find her. They had to find her. She lay there as the night passed, that one thought running through her mind on a torturous never-ending loop.

*  *  *

The next time Lord walked into the room whistling cheerfully. “Have I got news for you!” He started tapping on his iPad.

“Unless it’s announcing your imminent arrest I don’t really want to hear it.” Kara didn’t move from her position on the floor.

“Oh, it’s better than that.” He turned it around so it faced her. “National City thinks you’re taking a sabbatical.”

“What?” Kara turned her head, wincing with the pain. “You’re lying.”

“See for yourself.” He hit _play_ and held it up so she could see.

“And in her absence,” Cat was saying, “We expect the citizens of National City to continue on as they would were she still watching over us. And Supergirl, we look forward to your return.”

Kara stared at the screen. “That’s not…” How was that possible? “They’ll know I’m not gone.”

“Oh, I sent a message to your sister, about how you were following a lead on Fort Rozz escapee and that it requires you to be away at the Fortress of Solitude. That’s what the kids are calling it these days, right? And not to worry if she doesn’t hear from you in a week or two.” He moved closer to the glass.

“I know you were expecting big sister Alex to rescue you, but not this time, sweetie.”

Kara turned her head back to look at the ceiling. Two weeks. She guessed she had been in here three days so far. Chances were, Alex would get suspicious long before then. She could hold out till then. She could.

 *  *  *

Lord set the iPad aside on a table. “Alright so today’s activity will be hand to hand combat.”

Kara snorted. “Dream on.” For one thing, she ached everywhere. For another, she wasn’t going to fight Maxwell Lord while he held all the cards.

“So last time wasn’t really fair. I’ll give you that.” Lord said. “This time, I give you my word I’ll be more sporting.”

“You’re damping my powers and you’re calling that fair.” Kara muttered. She pushed herself up to her knees and stared at him straight on.

“Fair for me.” Lord said. “Otherwise would I even dream of being capable of fighting Supergirl? Of course not.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You might even be able to land a punch.”

“Really.”

“No.” If this were really happening, she’d need to get to her feet. Slowly she did.

To her surprise, Lord laughed. “Didn’t really expect you to have as good a sense of humor as you do.” He nodded approvingly. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Kara shrugged. She watched him open the cell. “So tell me again, how this is fair if I can’t fight back?” If it were under ordinary circumstances she would take him up on this offer on a fight in a second.

“Who said you can’t fight back?” Lord stepped into the cell and the door closed behind him.

Kara waited and then, “You just expect me to believe that?”

“Believe what you like.” Lord said and swung at her.

Kara dodged and reacted immediately with a punch to the kidneys.

He coughed and stumbled away. “Not bad.”

 _Not bad?_ Her body felt like it was moving in slow motion.

“What’ve you done to me?”

“You still have your strength. It’s just muted a little. I wanted to see how you would do.” He turned and swung again, this time, landing a punch on her jaw.

Kara stumbled backwards staring at him in shock.

Lord’s smile was cruel underneath the smooth veneer. “I see I was wrong. I am able to land a punch.”

 _Fight through it. You can do this._ Kara told herself. She launched herself through the fog that seemed to be surrounding her body. Her body moved slowly, so damn slowly. It was agony. She had never been this weak.

 _You’re not weak._ Kara straightened her back and moved in to attack. Her arms were on fire, but she landed another blow and he stumbled backwards. She hit him again and Lord smacked into the glass, staring at her as she grabbed him by the shirt and punched him into the glass again.

“You always underestimate me.” Kara rasped. “You should _never_ underestimate me.” Her eyes burned, her muscles were on fire, but her fingers tightened on his shirt.

“I can see that.” He pushed himself back up and hit a button on his watch.

Kara sank to her knees with a scream as pain shot through her. What little energy, what little control she had was sapped away from her and she crumpled in a heap.

Lord pushed himself up to his feet and for the first time she was aware that she had really, truly angered him. It was strange, Kara realized, as he headed over to her. She should have been afraid and in some ways she was. She didn’t want more pain. But this man, this contemptible, cruel, _pitiful_ man was so insignificant in the whole of the universe, and he hated that.

Lord glared down at her. “What’re you smiling at?”

“Your attempts to control me? To show how much power you have?” She threw the words at him. “They’re pathetic. Just like you.”

Lord kicked her savagely in the side.

Kara groaned, wrapping an arm around her chest, struggling to breathe.

“You think you’re better than me.”

“I _am_ better than you.” Kara ground out. “I don’t spend my time trying to undermine those who actually _are_ protecting the people on this planet. I just help them.”

He kicked her again in the stomach, and again, and again, until she had curled into a ball, trying to ward off the blows.

Lord reached down and yanked her head up by her hair. “You’ve never been better than me. And do you know why?” He said. “Because I’m human.”

“Yeah, the very worst part.” Kara said.

Lord stared down at her and then abruptly punched her in the face.

Kara reeled back in his grip. He pulled her back up, just to hit her again. Her face stung, her lips bled, but she still stared back at him defiantly.

“It’s not your call to decide what we are.” Lord sneered. “You have no place on this planet.”

“Funny. I don’t remember the same attitude about my cousin.”

“Yeah, and you know why?”

“Lemme guess. Cause he’s a dude.”

Lord smiled. “Got it in one.”

He punched her again and let her sag against the glass, sliding down to the ground before reaching down to clasp her by the throat.

“Ask me to spare your life.”

“Drop dead.”

Lord’s hand tightened on her throat, fingers biting into her skin. Kara hated the feel of it, his body being so close, even as she fought to breathe. She struggled against the words forming.

“Beg.”

“In your dreams.” Kara whispered.

He choked her harder and her breath faltered, coming in shallow desperate pants. Her vision blurred as her legs kicked out helplessly. How had she let this happen?

 _No_.

She _hadn’t_. It could have happened to anyone. Even Clark had been taken prisoner from time to time. This wasn’t her fault. It was all Maxwell Lord’s choice. He was responsible and nobody else. She would make him pay, and make sure he never had the chance to hurt anyone ever again. All she had to do was stop him. All she had to do was survive.

Her eyelashes fluttered as darkness swam in to cover her, thick and suffocating.

“Go on, Kara.” Lord whispered. “Beg me. Just one little word. Go on.”

There was no response. Her body had gone listless. She was limp in his grasp.

Lord lowered her to the floor, gazing down at her in disgust. “Maybe you are tougher than you look after all.”

Her cape was half torn off, but the rest of her costume was still intact, clinging to her body. His gaze traveled down over her motionless form and an idea formed.

“You won’t beg for your life, what about your body?” He left her there and went to make some preparations.

*  *  *

From his desk Lord watched her on camera. She hadn’t regained consciousness yet. She was like a lioness, Lord thought absently. All golden limbs and muscle underneath that suit.

He hadn’t done this because he wanted her or was even attracted to her. He could possess any woman he wanted, he didn’t need to hold them captive, but now that he had her…it would be a waste not to take advantage of the situation.

He could train her to do whatever he wanted, test her strength in all manners of ways.

He glanced at his watch. He’d let her sleep a while a longer and then he’d continue his research. The collar’s controller he’d installed in his watch been just as effective as he’d expected. Giving her a chance to fight against the collar’s strength had been informative and amusing.

He leaned back in his chair, his attention wandering to the other Danvers sister, as his hand drifted inside his pants. Alex. She’d be so angry at what he was doing with her little adopted sister.

How could she seriously consider Kara her sister? An alien woman. She looked human on the outside, but maybe on the inside, she was different. A little colder to the touch, perhaps, or maybe warmer. So warm the heat of her skin would enflame your entire body.

Lord sank back in his chair, spent. Reaching for his handkerchief he cleaned himself off. There was plenty of time for more experimentation. Kara Danvers wasn’t going anywhere.

*  *  *

Kara blinked, but the darkness didn’t go away. She strained her eyes but she couldn’t see anything. Her head felt heavy.

The darkness was everywhere. She turned her head, there was nothing anywhere.                                      

She was lying on a table. She knew that much. Her wrists were restrained. She pulled fruitlessly at them, but they held fast.

“Why are you doing this? You already have me in a cell.” She didn’t bother mentioning the collar. He already knew exactly how much control he already had over her.

She pulled again against the restraints but there was nothing she could do to free herself.

“Lord! _Enough_.”

There was no answer. What if he had left her alone? What if he had left her powerless and alone somewhere for anyone to find?

Kara fought down a scream. He wouldn’t. Even he wouldn’t do that. She was right there in the cell where he had imprisoned her. She _knew_ that. He’d simply found a way to block her sight.

“Enough.” Kara shouted. “Let me go.”

*  *  *

Her whole body vibrated with restrained power. The walls pulsed. Her body shook on the table as she fought the restraints.

“Impressive.” Lord murmured. “She should not be able to do that with the collar on.”

He looked at his assistant. “Get in there.”

“Sir?”

“I’ll give you instructions over your earpiece.” He opened the cell. “I want her to remember that she’s not the one in control here.”

“I think she already knows that, sir.”

“Nevertheless, let’s give her a reminder. Go on.”

His assistant shrugged and entered the cell.

*  *  *

Someone had entered the cell. Kara listened to the footsteps. It wasn’t Lord, so who had he sent in his place?

A hand touched her thigh and Kara jerked in the restraints.

“Don’t touch me.”

The hand moved further up her thigh. It wasn’t Lord’s. So who was it? Who was touching her?

“Who are you?”

The hand paused briefly, like the person was surprised she knew it wasn’t Lord and then it continued its exploration of her leg all the way up to her groin.

Kara tensed.

The hand touched her intimately, possessively exploring between her legs, fingertips brushing gently, teasingly over her skin.

Kara struggled. “Stop.”

The hand cupped her briefly and then stroked upward over her belly to her breasts. Her costume kept her from being naked, but the hand still explored every inch of her. It cupped her breasts slowly, stroking her nipples.

“Stop.” Kara whispered.

The hand didn’t stop. It touched her throat, caressing her collarbone. It was a woman. Kara knew that much. The hand was smaller than Lord’s, more feminine. And there was a certainty even in its hesitancy, a familiarity about the way it touched her.

Kara turned her head away even though she couldn’t see the person. “Leave me alone.”

One hand cupped her throat, even as another one moved back down to her groin. Kara squirmed away from the invasive touch. A thumb brushed over her slit, pressing closer, seeking her clit.

Kara tensed harder. _“Please.”_

The hands ignored her pleas and then they briefly moved away. Kara drew in a harsh breath of relief. In the next instant she went completely still. There was a knife at her groin, cutting into her costume.

“No. No.” She wanted to struggle away from that touch. But she was paralyzed, afraid if she moved, the knife would cut her.

The knife cut straight through her costume and then moved away, leaving her pubic area completely bare. The hand returned, exploring further, stroking her bare flesh.

Kara shivered. The thumb stroked along her folds and then down, across her slit. She twisted harder in her restraints, trying desperately to get away.

The thumb rubbed gently at her clit, the finger circled her slit and then, Kara arched her back, trying to escape it, as the finger pushed inside her. Slowly, it stretched and moved deeper; slowly her body responded as the thumb kept working her clit. Her face grew hotter; her skin tormented by this intrusion.

Another finger was inserted, the two of them working in tandem, working her open.

Kara’s breath came quicker and quicker. She willed herself not to give in, but her body wouldn’t listen. It was powerless to resist this as it was powerless to escape.

She gasped as the familiar rush hit her. Was it always this forceful? When was the last time she had orgasmed? She couldn’t remember all of a sudden. Two weeks ago in the shower? Sometime in bed before she fell asleep? Those had been solitary, enjoyable moments. Not like this. The violence of it shocked her, the way her body moved in this moment it was as though it belonged to someone else. The fingers kept moving in her, fucking deeper, stroking her until a moan escaped her lips.

Her skin was on fire; her hands trembled as she moved futilely in her restraints.

The fingers were removed then, and for a moment she felt empty and abandoned.

Then something slick and heavy pushed between her legs.

“No.” Kara struggled. “No.”

Whatever it was, it was too big, too painful. The object moved deeper inside her, until it filled her. She panted, trying not to panic as she tried to work out what it was.

Something warm flicked lightly over her clit and she jumped.

“Stop. _Stop_.”

The tongue, it was a tongue, just a tongue, she knew that at least, ignored her and kept licking. Her clit tingled and she moaned again, not wanting to surrender a second time. The object inside her held steady and hard as the tongue teased her sensitive clit, working her to fresh torment.

The second time Kara cried out, unable to hold it back any longer. A wave of shame passed over her, as strong as the orgasm itself. Even while being tortured, Lord hadn’t managed to make her cry out. Why was her body so weak when it came to this? Why couldn’t she control herself?

The object was removed, and there were hands, stroking her inner thighs, making her skin flush with pleasure.

Kara tensed, waiting for whatever came next. Something would come next. She knew that by now.

Her clit was hot to the touch, dying for further release.

Kara sweated in her costume, tensed with anticipation.

It didn’t come.

*  *  *

The lead blindfold stayed on, her costume remained cut away at her groin, leaving her exposed and intimately vulnerable. Somehow time passed as she lay there, tensed against every noise in the distance.

Every moment dragged on endlessly and she was still a prisoner, still helpless.

 _Why haven’t they found me yet?_ They had to know she was missing by now. How could they not know?

At some point someone returned to the cell and injected her with a hypo. Kara fell back into unconsciousness, even as she fought against it.

*  *  *

When she woke again Kara was back in her cell. It was like the previous time had never happened. The only evidence of it was the cut-away portion of her costume.

Her body throbbed, remembering everything that had happened to her. Kara felt sick, unable to excuse what had been done, how she had reacted.

She leaned her head back against the glass, biting down on her cry.

*  *  *

Kara sat sidewise with one leg drawn up, arm folded across her knee, when the door finally opened again. Lord stood there just looking at her, then he opened the cell.

Kara stayed where she was. She wouldn’t do anything she didn’t have; he couldn’t make her do that.

“Oh, we’re playing it that way, are we?” Lord shrugged. “All right. Get up.”

Kara rose to her feet. She ignored the way his gaze drifted to her groin. Her eyes blazed with rage as she faced him.

Lord studied her for a moment. “Take off your costume.”

Her hands followed his instructions to the letter even as she seethed against his command.

Lord leaned against the doorway of the cell, just gazing at Kara as she stood there naked before him. The lioness comparison had not been wrong.

He straightened up. “Get on your hands and knees.”

Kara’s shoulders shook with rage even as she crouched down. He wanted her to look down, to be frightened or ashamed. She had nothing to be ashamed of. Defiantly she stared back at him across the cell.

“Now crawl to me.”

Kara crawled, resentment in every movement.

Lord admired her as she came across the cell towards him. She was art like this. If he kept her, he would keep her like this.

He wasn’t going to keep her of course, not forever. It wasn’t feasible. Eventually something would happen, the collar would weaken or she’d overcome it. She’d escape and he had no illusions about what followed after that. If she didn’t come after him, the moment Alex Danvers knew what he’d done to her sister, he’d be a dead man.

But where was the joy in life if you didn’t take risks now and then?

Kara came to a stop in front of him. Lord swept her hair back from her face, gazing down her.

Kara stared back at him, defiance in her eyes, filling the lines of her mouth. Ever her breasts were radiantly angry. He admired those too, the delicate high perfection of them. He hadn’t had his assistant pay enough attention to her breasts. He regretted that now. Maybe next time.

“Are you afraid of me, Kara?”

“No.” She said.

It was true. He felt it in her body. She might have been afraid of what he could do, the pain he could inflict. But she wasn’t afraid of _him._ And she never would be. Not unless he inflicted true pain; only that would make her afraid.

Lord brushed his thumb over her mouth, stroking her lower lip and sighed. “I collared the wrong Danvers sister.” He murmured.

Kara’s body jerked in his grasp. Lord crouched down beside her, cupping her face with his hands.

“Just imagine what I could do to your sister in this position.” He smiled at her. “What do you think she’d be willing to do, to save you?”

Her body trembled. Lord started to straighten up. “Get up.”

Kara’s punch was muted, but it still struck with the strength of a mountain. Lord fell sideways, landing hard on the floor.

When he looked up, Kara stood over him, her eyes blazing.

“You touch my sister and I will break every bone in your body.”

He started to reach for his watch, but her foot was there before him. Kara stomped hard on his wrist and he cried out. Even if she hadn’t broken his wrist, she’d broken the fucking watch. He had no way to access the collar’s controls.

Her powers surged through her body. It was like stepping out into the sunlight after being locked in the darkness.

Kara grabbed him by the neck and drew him close. “And when that’s done, I will shatter those bones and I will leave you as less than dust under my boots.”

She threw him into the glass. Maxwell smacked into it hard, sliding down to the ground. His head hit the glass. Kara struck him again, and again. Blood spurted from his nose and she punched him again.

Her breath caught in her chest as she stood over him. She could kill him. It would be so easy. And he’d never be able to hurt anyone again, never be able to hurt Alex. Her hand throbbed with the wanting of it.

Slowly, deliberately, Kara lowered her bloodied fists. She raised them to her neck and clasped the collar. She snapped it into two pieces, dropping them onto the floor, leaving her neck free.

Kara looked at Lord’s unconscious body one final time. Then she turned and went over to the open door and walked straight through it.

She was in a long gray corridor. Her bare feet felt unsteady on the cement. She took one step at a time, adjusting to the way her body felt. Her powers were there, but she felt so bruised, like she she’d been flattened by a semi.

She turned a corner and there at the end of the corridor she saw a familiar figure coming towards her.

“Alex.” Her knees stumbled, weak with the realization that her sister was there. Kara sank down to the floor just as Alex reached her.

“Oh, god, Kara.” Her sister caught her in her arms, pulling her close. “Where is he? I’ll kill him.”

“He’s in there.” Kara murmured. “I might have fractured something.” She didn’t care. Not right now. All she cared about was the fact that Alex was safe and she was free.

Alex held her with one arm while she pulled her jacket off with the other, wrapping it around Kara.

“In there. Get him.” Alex ordered the strike team. As much as she wanted to get her hands on Maxwell Lord herself, she couldn’t leave Kara. Not now.

“How’d you find me?” Kara murmured.

“Not sure.” Alex touched her forehead. “We got a tip to search the lab again.”

“Again?” Kara echoed.

“Are you kidding me? This was one of the first places I looked once I realized you were gone. We searched all over and didn’t find anything.” Alex’s voice trailed off.

They had been here. They had looked for her, and they had left, leaving her behind. It didn’t matter now, but the knowledge of that left her winded.

Kara drew a deep breath, and released it, trying to steady herself.

“Hey, hey, Kara, are you okay??” Alex stared down at her.

“I’m….” Kara paused. “just…ready to go home.” She closed her eyes.

*  *  *

Even once she was safely back in her own apartment, with Alex making cocoa, it felt surreal.

It had been a week. And the only proof of what had happened were the bruises on her body and her own memories. Memories of the dark, of those hands touching her and Lord watching her with impassive eyes while he tortured her again and again and again.

“Here.” Alex brought the mugs over and set them on the coffee table. She settled beside Kara, wrapping her arms around her. Kara breathed in the familiar scent of the cocoa, just allowing herself to accept that she was home, she was safe.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”

“It’s…okay.” Kara said slowly.

Someone was walking down the hall outside her apartment. Kara tensed at the sound of footsteps, waiting until they had passed her door and continued down the hall.

Alex watched her with worried eyes. “You should probably, talk to someone.” Her voice was soft.

“How would I even begin to tell someone about this?” Kara pushed her hair back with a tired grimace. “I was kidnapped and held prisoner for a week and….” She trailed off.

“You can talk to me.” Alex reassured her.

“I know that, I really do.” Kara squeezed her hand. “But the things he did in there….they were…” She paused, trying to collect her words. “It was… confusing.”

“Confusing?” Alex echoed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m so…angry at him. I hated how that made me feel, how it makes me feel now. That he could have any say in how I felt makes me so angry. I was _helpless_ , Alex, and then he took away my sense of hope. He made me feel hopeless, Alex. How can I go out there and try to help people when I can’t even…”

“Oh, Kara, how…” Alex pulled her close again. “I’m so sorry I didn’t find you sooner. You knew I was looking for you. You had to know that.”

“I did.” Kara said. “It wasn’t that. It was…just the fact that he got in my head worse than I ever thought he could. I underestimated him, Alex. And I feel so stupid for doing that. How could I have been so stupid?”

“Kara, none of this is your fault in any way. You know that, right?” Alex’s defense was quick and fierce.

“I do. I do know that.” Kara leaned her head back against her sister. “But it’s hard to keep hold of that.”

“You’re safe now.” Alex murmured, holding her tight. “I will never let that happen again.”

“I wanted to kill him, Alex.” Kara’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I wanted to break him and leave him empty. How could I want that? How?” Her voice cracked.

“Hey, shhh, hey…” Alex stroked her hair. “That is not your fault, and it doesn’t make you bad in any way.”

Kara just closed her eyes.

“That’s a normal reaction. It’s okay. It’s _human_. The important thing, the thing that matters, Kara, is that you stopped.”

“I didn’t want to.”

“But you did.” Alex clasped her hand. “You stopped.”

Kara nodded. “Yeah. I know.”

“Hey, come here.” Alex got up.

“You’re seriously making me move off tis couch after I was kidnapped?”

Alex gave her a look.

“Hey, if I can’t joke about it, I’ll never be able to get past it.”

“Sure, but it’s a little soon, don’t you think?”

“Humans do things slower.” Kara informed her. “What were you gonna show me?”

“This.” Alex drew her over to the window and opened it. “You see that?”

“The city. The same city that’s always outside my window.” Kara looked out at the buildings. All the lights that kept shining long after midnight.

“Yes, the same city. It’s still there, the same as you.” Alex faced her. “Bad things happen. We can’t stop all of them. Something bad happened, Kara. And it’s over. It doesn’t lessen you, it doesn’t make you anything than you already are. A _survivor_. So tomorrow things will be rough, and the day after that and people will ask how you are for a while, and that will suck. But one day you’ll wake up and things won’t be so terrible. And the city will still be here. And so will you.”

Kara turned and wrapped her arms around her sister, burying her face in Alex’s hair.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m older than you.” Alex whispered, with a smile. “I just know when things are bad, they feel like they’re always going to be bad. But that’s a lie. Things shift, they change. Every day we start again.” She pulled her sister close. “And I’ll be here with you.”

Kara leaned her head against Alex’s shoulder. It would take time. She closed her eyes and still saw the lights of the city, not the darkness, just for a moment. That was a start.

 


End file.
